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Iran is currently going through a serious drought. The dams are almost completely dry. Iran’s main water expert, Mohsen Arbabian, says that “The U.S. and Israel are manipulating the weather by redirecting rain clouds away from Iran to deliberately trigger drought”.
Iran is currently going through a serious drought. The dams are almost completely dry.
Irans main water expert, Mohsen Arbabian, says that
“The U.S. and Israel are manipulating the weather by redirecting rain clouds away from Iran to deliberately trigger drought”.(MEMRI)
— Chaya’s Clan (@ChayasClan) August 1, 2025
In late 2025, Iran’s capital Tehran—a sprawling metropolis of over 10 million people—teeters on the edge of catastrophe. Reservoirs like Latyan and Amir Kabir are at perilously low levels, some below 10% capacity, with satellite imagery revealing vast exposed riverbeds that were once vital water sources. President Masoud Pezeshkian has declared that Tehran “can no longer remain the capital,” reviving long-dormant plans to relocate it to the remote Makran coast along the Gulf of Oman. This isn’t hyperbole: Officials warn of an impending “Day Zero,” when taps could run completely dry, forcing rationing, evacuations, or worse. As one resident told reporters, “We didn’t have water for three days—the pressure was so low that nothing came out.
“Iran’s water crisis is national in scope, but Tehran symbolizes its severity. The city, home to nearly 18% of Iran’s population, faces subsidence rates of up to 30 centimeters per year in parts, turning buildings into sinking hazards. Nightly pressure reductions already leave neighborhoods parched, and residents scramble for tankers or bottled water—luxuries the poor can’t afford. Beyond the capital, iconic bodies like Lake Urmia (once the Middle East’s largest saltwater lake) have shrunk dramatically, now a dust-choked salt flat triggering storms. The Zayandeh Rud River in Isfahan, vital for agriculture and tourism, frequently dries to a trickle, fueling farmer protests. The roots run deep.
Iran‘s critical water shortage, exacerbated by decades of mismanagement and drought, threatens to make Tehran uninhabitable
Iran’s critical water shortage, exacerbated by decades of mismanagement and drought, threatens to make Tehran uninhabitable https://t.co/4fefXde4Gr pic.twitter.com/C3qwdgo3uh
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 12, 2025
Decades of mismanagement have drained resources: Over 90% of Iran’s water goes to agriculture, often inefficiently through flood irrigation on water-intensive crops like wheat and rice, pursued for food self-sufficiency amid sanctions. Thousands of dams—many built by entities linked to the Revolutionary Guards—have disrupted river flows, while illegal wells proliferate due to lax enforcement. Subsidized energy and water encourage waste, with urban per capita use far exceeding allocations. Iran endures its sixth consecutive year of severe drought, with fall 2025 the hottest and driest on record in Tehran since 1979. Precipitation is down 40-80% in recent years, reservoirs critically low nationwide.
Experts describe Iran as in “water bankruptcy”—overdrawing surface and groundwater faster than replenishment, depleting aquifers irreversibly. Sanctions play a role, limiting access to modern desalination tech or efficient irrigation imports, but polls show 75% of Iranians blame domestic inefficiency, not foreign pressures or nature alone. Corruption in water projects and prioritization of political gains over sustainability have exacerbated the mess. Socially, the crisis brews unrest. Past shortages sparked violent protests in Khuzestan (2021) and Isfahan, quickly turning political. In 2025, student demos at universities and farmer clashes over transfers highlight growing frustration. Slogans like “Water, electricity, life—our basic right” echo amid blackouts compounding the pain. Solutions?
Desalination and Gulf piping are costly ($4+ per cubic meter to Tehran). Cloud seeding offers temporary relief but no fix. Relocating the capital—estimated at $100 billion+—might ease Tehran’s load but shifts problems elsewhere without reforms like efficient farming, pricing reforms, or inter-basin equity. Iran’s plight warns the world: Mismanagement plus climate stress can bankrupt even resource-rich nations. As reservoirs empty and prayers for rain go unanswered, the Islamic Republic faces a reckoning—environmental, economic, and potentially political.
More…
Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite imagery shows that Iran’s Karaj Dam, one of the largest water sources supplying Tehran, is now almost completely dried up. Years of the Islamist regime’s incompetence, corruption, and poor infrastructure planning have led to severe water depletion across the country. In stark contrast, neighboring desert nations have largely avoided similar crises through effective water management and long-term planning. The escalating water emergency is intensifying public anger toward the regime in Iran and could reignite large-scale anti-regime protests in near future.
🔴 NEW — Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite imagery shows that Iran’s Karaj Dam, one of the largest water sources supplying Tehran, is now almost completely dried up. Years of the Islamist regime’s incompetence, corruption, and poor infrastructure planning have led to severe water… pic.twitter.com/hpRkDwjwet
— Shayan X (@ShayanX0) November 12, 2025
Research Links
- “Iran’s Capital Has Run Out of Water, Forcing It to Move” – Scientific American
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/irans-capital-has-run-out-of-water-forcing-it-to-move/ - “Iran’s president calls for moving its drought-stricken capital amid a worsening water crisis” – The Conversation
https://theconversation.com/irans-president-calls-for-moving-its-drought-stricken-capital-amid-a-worsening-water-crisis-how-tehran-got-into-water-bankruptcy-270456 - “Taps may run dry in this country, where the water crisis is so severe it can be seen from space” – CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/01/climate/iran-water-crisis-evacuate-tehran - “Iran’s Water Crisis Is a Warning to Other Countries” – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2025/11/iran-water-crisis-warning-climate?lang=en - “Tehran taps run dry as water crisis deepens across Iran” – Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/land-use-biodiversity/tehran-taps-run-dry-water-crisis-deepens-across-iran-2025-11-12/ - “Iran’s Water Crisis Explained: Will Tehran’s Day Zero Spark Protests?” – Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kavehmadani/2025/12/03/6-big-questions-about-irans-water-crisis-and-tehrans-day-zero/ - “Water scarcity in Iran” – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_scarcity_in_Iran - “Satellite Imagery Shows Tehran’s Accelerating Water Crisis” – CSIS
https://www.csis.org/analysis/satellite-imagery-shows-tehrans-accelerating-water-crisis
Ben and Luke at Whatfinger News
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